From the ancient city of Gadara. During the Middle Ages, Gadara became known by its Arabic name -- Umm Qais.

Umm Qais is located in the north-west corner of Jordan and overlooks Lake Tiberias, the Jordan Valley, and Syria. On a clear day it is possible to see Israel and Lebanon from here.

Umm Qais has wonderful ruins from the Roman period, including a colonnaded street, an amphitheater, and royal tombs. Along the colonnaded street there are track marks in the pavement made by the chariots that once travelled the city’s main pathway.

Archaeologists are still working to uncover and study the area. There are little blue numbers on most of the ruins to keep track of all that has been found.

One other interesting area of Umm Qais is an Ottoman village. Some of the buidings and structures in this village were built using the materials from the ancient ruins of Gadara. What I liked best about Umm Qais is that we had the place pretty much to ourselves. Due to it’s northern location, many tourists don’t make the trip!

Up Next: More Roman Era remains in Jerash.

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